Modern Machine Shop is focused on all aspects of metalworking technology - Providing the new product technologies; process solutions; supplier listings; business management; networking; and event information that companies need to be competitive.
Issue link: https://mms.epubxp.com/i/313389
106 MMS June 2014 mmsonline.com feature IMTS, September 10-11. Modern Machine Shop is one of the event's organizers, along with the UK's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and AMT–the Association for Manufacturing Technology. Speakers scheduled to appear this year include representatives of Boeing and Airbus, plus GE Aviation, Fokker Aerostructures, Messier- Dowty Ltd. and Spirit AeroSystems. Learn more at tram-conference.com . DOUBLING OF DEMAND One of those speakers is Colin Sirett, head of research and technology for Airbus in the UK. He of fers a view of why the aircraf t industr y will c o nti nu e to b e s u c h a c o m p e lli n g s e c to r of manufacturing. World demographics tell the story, he says. The planet has 7 billion people, but still only 1 billion of them have access to air travel. As wealth increases in various parts of the world, many more people will obtain this access. Air travel demand is projected to double in the next 20 years. "H ow w ill a irc raf t m a nu fac tu re r s ac h i eve the production ramp-up needed to meet this demand?" he asks. "It can't be by just doing more of the same." Part of the reason why it can't be more of the same is because past advances in manufacturing have been so successful. Though there is still room for CNC machining to improve, technology and operational advances related to machining have now brought the cost of machining low enough that material cost and the overall time to manufacture have become more significant con- siderations by comparison. As a result, aircraft OEMs are increasingly turning their attention to ways they can use less material. This is a chal- lenge that suggests near-net-shape processes, particularly additive manufacturing (the focus of a separate half-day event—see page 108). Aircraft OEMs will also increasingly turn their attention to reducing the time that manufacturing requires, largely because speeding production offers the best chance to increase manufacturing capacity. And these companies will certainly need more capacity. Fortunately, there is low-hanging fruit, Mr. Sirett says. Dynamic analysis in milling is one example. The technique of adjusting spindle speeds in milling to achieve high metal removal rates by quieting chatter has been known since the 1970s, yet very few machine shops are taking advantage of this possibility. Many more of them should take advantage of it, he says. He guesses there is 20 percent latent capacit y just waiting to be achieved through methodology improvements on current suppliers' existing CNC machines, even before any new capital investment is made. Meanwhile, the market demand alone is not the only factor to consider, because the growth Adrian Allen, commercial director of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, is seen here opening the previous TRAM conference. The AMRC is again one of the organizers. 0614_MMS_Tram.indd 106 5/14/2014 8:45:23 AM